The alcohol effects on the body are widespread and range from relatively mild effects such as mile euphoria at one extreme, to alcohol abuse and intoxication in the middle, to unhealthy and destructive effects and drinking problems at the other extreme, such as alcohol dependency, alcohol poisoning, coma, and death.
Alcohol Short Term Effects in the First Stage of Alcoholism
Some of the short term effects of alcohol in the first stage of alcoholism:
* The use of alcohol as a way to forget problems or to "mellow out"
* A conscious effort to seek out more drinking opportunities
* Boasting and a "big shot" complex
* Drinking is not social but a psychological escape from stress and problems
* Lack of recognition by the person that he or she is in the early stages of a progressive illness
* Increasing tolerance
* Gross Drinking Behavior - more frequent drinking of greater amounts
* An ability to drink great amounts of alcohol without any apparent impairment
Alcohol Short Term Effects in the Second Stage of Alcoholism
The following list describes some of the drinking problems, classic alcoholic behaviors, and effects of alcohol in the second stage of alcoholism:
* Drinking because of dependence rather than for stress relief
* Blaming problems on others and on things external to themselves
* Feelings of guilt and shame
* Increasing tolerance
* Increasing physical problems
* Denial
* Chronic hangovers
* Sneaking extra drinks before social events
* Sporadic loss of control
* Unsuccessful attempts to stop drinking
* More frequent blackouts
Health Effects of Alcohol in the Third Stage of Alcoholism
The following characterizes some of the classic alcoholic behaviors, effects of alcohol, and drinking problems in the third stage of alcoholism:
* Half-hearted attempts at seeking medical help
* Loss of willpower
* Neglect of necessities such as food
* The development of an alibi system - an elaborate system of excuses for their drinking
* Serious financial, relationship, and work-related problems
* Avoidance of family and friends
* A decrease in alcohol tolerance
* Loss of control has become a pattern
* Changes in friendships, such as associating only with friends who drink
* Loss of interest in activities that used to be important
* An increase in failed promises and resolutions to one's self and to others
* Frequent violent or destructive behavior
* Increasing tremors
* Eye-openers
* Aggressive and grandiose behavior
* A decrease in alcohol tolerance
* The start of physical deterioration
* Unreasonable resentments
* Problems with the law (such as DUIs)
Effects of Drinking Alcohol During the Fourth Stage of Alcoholism
The following list represents some of the drinking problems, effects of alcohol, and classic alcoholic behaviors in the fourth stage of alcoholism:
* Persistent remorse
* Moral deterioration
* Devaluation of personal relationships
* The realization of being out of control
* Benders, or lengthy intoxications
* The possibility of alcoholic psychosis
* Impaired thinking
* Loss of tolerance for alcohol
* "The shakes"
* Auditory and visual hallucinations
* Nameless fears and anxieties such as feelings of impending doom or destruction
* Continual loss of control
* The collapse of the alibi system
* The "DTs"
* Unreasonable resentments and hostility toward others
* An obsession with drinking
* Indefinable fears
* Vague spiritual desires
Social Effects of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
* Broken, dysfunctional homes
* Traffic fatalities or injuries on the highways
* Birth defects such as fetal alcohol syndrome
* Wife battering
* Destroyed relationships
* Work-related injuries and accidents
* Child abuse
* Destroyed lives
* Codependent behavior in others
Alcohol Health Effects: Cancer
Chronic, excessive drinking results in a number of alcohol health effects that are exhibited by long-term problem drinkers. Perhaps the worst of these alcohol health effects is cancer.
Indeed, there are a number of different types of cancer that can be considered as alcohol long term effects. The following is a list of different types of cancer that are caused directly or indirectly by alcoholism:
* Stomach
* Rectum
* Colon
* Throat
* Liver
* Larynx
* Kidneys
* Esophagus
Alcohol Health Effects: Non-Cancerous Medical Conditions
* Harm to the fetus while the mother is pregnant
* Cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy (damage to the heart muscle), heart failure, and strokes
* Sever thiamine deficiency
* Problems with the immune system
* Impaired learning ability
* Pancreatitis
* Wernicke's disease (a memory disorder)
* Vitamin A deficiency (which can cause night blindness)
* Pneumonia
* Memory loss
* Dehydration
* Kidney failure
* Vitamin D deficiency (which can result in bone fractures)
* Coma
* Organ and system malfunction
* Inflammation of the digestive system
* Ulcers from the perforation of the stomach and the intestines
* Vitamin deficiencies (such as folate, selenium, riboflavin, thiamin, and vitamin B6)
* Infections
* Mental confusion
* Kidney and urinary tract infections
* Death (from alcohol poisoning, excessive intoxication, and organ malfunction)
* Loss of intellectual abilities
* Korsakoff's syndrome (a memory disorder)
* Diabetes
* Alcohol withdrawal symptoms when the alcoholic stops drinking
* Destruction of brain cells
* Alcohol poisoning
* Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach)
* Sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction and impotence in men
* Numbness of the feet and hands
* Nervous system damage
* Cirrhosis of the liver
* Brain damage
A review of the above mentioned negative effects of alcohol on the body can certainly be perceived as some of the more damaging effects of alcohol abuse.
As such, one would think that these negative alcohol health effects would cause more people to evaluate their drinking behavior and try to reduce their drinking problems.
As the many research and medical statistics demonstrate, however, this is simply not the case regarding the millions of people in the U.S. who experience drinking problems because they continue to drink in an irresponsible and abusive manner.
Effects of Drinking Alcohol: Conclusion
At the one extreme, alcohol is enjoyable and elicits feelings of cheerfulness and relaxation. At the other extreme, however, the alcohol effects on the body not only lead to serious health problems, but can also result in alcohol poisoning, coma, and death.
The effects of drinking alcohol in the form of alcoholism are wide-spread as well as extremely damaging.
Stated differently, chronic alcoholism is truly a destructive, devastating, and debilitating disease that negatively affects the alcoholic; the alcoholic's social network, namely his family members, other relatives, work associates, neighbors, and friends; and the ill-fated "strangers" who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when the alcoholic causes a traffic fatality or accident because the alcoholic was driving "under the influence" of alcohol.
What adds to the problem, moreover, is that abusive drinking leads not only to various short term effects of alcohol addiction but also to long term effects of alcohol dependency. And the combination of these two aspects of excessive drinking can be seen as the negative health effects of alcohol abuse and alcoholism.
This, however, is not the full extent of the alcohol effects on the body, the social effects of alcohol abuse, or the psychological effects of alcoholism.
Indeed, the effects of alcohol on the body and the effects of alcohol on the brain manifest themselves in an incredible number of diseases, drinking problems, and medical conditions that are suffered by the alcoholic.
In fact, it is almost overwhelming when first looking at the number, variety, and the seriousness of the damaging effects of alcohol related illnesses and ailments that are caused by abusive and hazardous drinking.
After the alcohol consumption effects are examined more closely, however, the alcohol health effects, the destructive drinking problems, and the medical consequences of alcoholism become less awe-inspiring and more logical.
More explicitly, over time, alcoholism progressively breaks down the proper functioning of the body's main organs and systems.
In addition, the problem drinker cannot replenish the vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients his or her body requires because of poor eating habits and, perhaps more significantly, because the body's malfunctioning organs and systems prevent the proper absorption, digestion, utilization, and metabolism of the nutrients necessary for growth, repair, and general maintenance.
Thus, over time, the alcoholic, because of the alcohol effects on the body and on the brain, gradually kills himself or herself by his or her alcoholic behavior.
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It is very sad what happens to our body with constant consumption of alcohol. Good people, intelligent people loose their control, value and integrity. If we stop for a second to think about the consequences, we would never go on this path. Thank you very much for this detailed information. God bless you.